Libra
by 14karatgold
Summary: Everyone weighs a promise differently, and some confuse pain with duty when faced with a choice between two promises: one already made, and one desired. SJ. Season 8.
1. Prologue: Promises

Being Here for Me

Summary- She wanted to keep all her promises, but sometimes Fate decides that some promises are made to be broken. SJ. Season 8.

Rated T, and you'll understand why.

Drama/Angst

Disclaimer- I am in love with Stargate. It does not belong to me. This is solely for (somewhat depressing) entertainment.

AN- Though it seems like it at the beginning, Sam and Pete do not, should not, and will never exist. This is a SamJack story and not one where Jack is the second option either. Be patient with it. I hope not to disappoint.

Prologue:

Promises

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

"Always," he had said. Just a simple word. It had meant so much, coming from the most laconic man she had ever met. She had treasured every word he had ever said. Admired them even, as most were said in preamble to one of his great deeds—

—But this word, '_Always,' _was just for her.

It was then that she knew that if she went through the week as it had been planned, the rest of her life would waltz down the road she did not want to take, in step with her waltz down the aisle.

And yet, she couldn't veer this course of events towards the other road. It was too late for that. She wouldn't go back on a promise. She had looked at her ring as she felt her father's life pass through his body into the ether. Having second thoughts was not the same as carrying a heavy diamond oath on your finger.

She had turned her gaze up at the man behind the glass, moving only to allow the nurses to remove her father's empty shell.

'Always,' she had mouthed, fixing her heavy blue eyes on his scrutinizing brown ones.

'Always,' he had muttered back, knowing what it was that she was about to do, even before she did.

She had nodded sedately, a sad smile barely touching the corner of her mouth, and pushed her oath more securely onto her finger. They had watched each other as the seconds crawled by, tears threatening to burst forth from the careful dam she had erected, both in her mind, and in her eyes. And still she had watched. She had watched as he stood up, nodded in understanding and sad admiration of her, and left.

She had stood there, well into the night.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Ok, that's just the first chapter. I hope it was informative. I'll try to have another one soon. Please review.

Thanks!

KT


	2. Chapter 1: Silent Vigil

Silent Vigil

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKK-A Week Before the Wedding-KKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Was it worth it?

She could barely plaster a fake smile on her face as her fiancée tried hopelessly to make her laugh. He used to make her laugh. What was different? He didn't know.

She managed the smile, but it was way late. "We're getting married," she said.

"Yeah, but are you okay? You've been acting weird since your dad died," the man asked.

"It's nothing," she said, putting another smile on for him.

"No, it's not. Sam, you forget that I'm a cop. I read people for a living," he said, giving her an imploring look.

"Really, Pete. It's nothing. I'll be over it soon."

"And yet, you admit that there is something."

"Well, yeah," she said, almost laughing at his clueless ness. "My dad just died, Pete, you can't expect me to be all happy-go-lucky and excited right away!" That wasn't the only reason, but it would be enough to get him off her case.

"Okay! Okay! It's alright. I didn't mean to upset you, it's just that since we're gonna be husband and wife in a few days, we should work on our communication skills."

Sam had to laugh at that. "It's fine, Pete, really. Just give it time. Life'll go back to normal."

"Yeah, with our wonderful Goa'uld gone, you can quit your job and there'll be no more secrets."

Sam got serious then. "Pete, I've already told you that I'm not quitting my job."

"Get a lab job then! I just don't want you going through the Stargate where you could get hurt, or worse: killed. I don't want our kids going through that," he said with a pitying look.

She had to admit that he had a point.

"Maybe I can get transferred to Research and Development in Area 51," she offered. She had actually been considering the idea ever since the General had announced that he was moving to D.C.

"But then we'd have to sell the house and move to Nevada. Come on! I love that house," he pointed out with one of his toothy grins.

She hadn't thought of that either.

"Pete, I'm sorry. I love my job. I have to say that moving to Nevada would be rather impractical, but it's either that or going through the Stargate. Bear in mind that I've been at Stargate Command for nearly nine years and most of the disasters have been prevented because of SG1 and the other lab technicians. With the Goa'uld gone and the Jaffa Nation in place, the danger of going out there is minimal."

"But with Teal'c on the Jaffa Council and Jackson going to—what was the place? Atlantis? —What are you gonna do?"

"I'll probably get to pick a new team and continue going out—"

"—Or you could just get a lab job and let someone else be the hero for once."

Sam could feel herself getting frustrated with his insistence. She wanted to tell him that if it were that easy, she would've done it a long time ago, and would already be married to a man that wasn't him. Calming herself, she decided to end the conversation there.

"Let's just stop this conversation right here. We can discuss this later if there's any sign of more problems at SGC. If there are, I get to go and help, deal?"

"And if there aren't, you leave?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then what did you say?" he demanded.

"I said that we would discuss it later."

"Okay, fine. Now! For the cake! You never did tell me whether you wanted chocolate or vanilla."

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKK-The Day Before the Wedding- KKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

"Sam!" a voice called from somewhere down the hall. "Sam! _Sam!_"

Sam groaned as she forcefully pushed herself to a sitting position, right before her Maid of Honor plowed through her bedroom door holding the phone. "It's for you," she said.

"No really, Cass, I never woulda guessed," she slurred out, brain still fogged. She took the phone from the girl's hand and pressed it to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Uh, hey," said the person on the other end.

"Oh, hey," she said, waking up suddenly. She had been wondering if he'd ever call. "Where are you?"

"At the airport," he said simply.

This puzzled her. "Why are you at the airport?"

"I'm getting ready to fly to Denver."

She waited for him to elaborate, even though she knew he wouldn't.

"So you're coming then?" she asked, hoping, and yet dreading the answer at the same time.

"Yeah…" he said, as though he didn't really want to.

"Look, you don't have to come. I know that you and Pete don't really get along." That was an understatement on her part. The one and only time they had met had been a disaster, and that was at her dad's funeral.

"No," he said, a thread of humor in his voice, "I do. I have to be there to see you _actually _get a life. If I don't see it, I won't believe it."

She smiled. "You still have to promise that you won't say anything during the ceremony."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm planning on bringing along a nice fresh roll of duct tape."

She laughed. Really laughed, before saying, "Teal'c's coming home today. He has to be ready for tomorrow."

"Oh yay! I thought hats were illegal at weddings?"

"Well, we kind of made an exception in his case. No awkward questions, you know."

"Keeping this thought alive, is that why I wasn't asked to be one of the groomsmen?"

Sam bit her lip, "I wasn't sure if you were going to want to be there."

"Carter," he warned, "that wasn't my question."

"Well, I mean really. You can't stand up there with duct tape on your face!" she attempted to joke.

"Hey, why not? Teal'c's got a _hat_ for cryin' out loud!" he said back, also trying to keep himself normal.

There was silence.

"Look, I gotta go. They're boarding. I'll see you in a few hours."

And he hung up before she could say anything.

Honestly, she didn't want him as a groomsman because she didn't want to be looking past Pete at one of the men behind him, standing in silent vigil as he bit back his own pain for her.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Hey, it's something right? Tell me what you think about it.

KT


	3. Chapter 2: Who v Whom

_AN- To VisualIdentificationZeta (and all others who feel the same way he does), don't freak out, if you're still reading this. I hope not to let you down. _

_Also, I want to disclaim Miles Davis, as he is mentioned in this chapter. _

_Happy reading!_

_KT_

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Who vs. Whom

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKK-Day of the Wedding- KKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

She'd felt numb all day.

From the moment she awoke, she felt it—that dull nagging feeling that you feel all over when you're dreading something, and you can't believe you're letting it happen. When you feel you're powerless to change anything.

Oddly enough, it's the same sensation you feel when you hear that someone you knew has suddenly died.

She'd felt that way as soon as she dissolved the last remnants of sleep from her mindand remembered what she was about to face that day. No aliens, no wormholes, no relevant deaths—just her fiancé. She wasn't sure which of thosechoices she preferred.

She tried to focus on something else. She concentrated so hard on taking a shower that she didn't enjoy it at all. _Shampoo. Conditioner. Body wash. Rinse. Repeat. _It was a steady state of mind that drove out all else, including the relaxation that showers normally brought.

She kept her mind busy all through the dressing, and the make-up, and the hair. More than once, Cassie asked her if she could talk at all, let alone answer a question. Still, Sam did not speak. She knew that if she spoke, she would eventually spill all of her doubts and suspicions to the younger girl, andshe knew that doing this would not make her feel any better. It would, in fact, make her feel worse. So she decided not to speak at all, which suited her just fine.

It was as she stood at the double doors leading into the church hall that she chose to finally whisper two words to General Hammond, who was there to give her away: "I'm ready."

As if cued by her words, the music that she had lately associated with that numbness began to ring around her ears. She felt light-headed, and the music echoed shrilly in herears. She was sure that this wasn't what normal brides felt when the doors opened, revealing a dark maroon carpet and an altar that could only be described as cliché.

Cliché.

Cliché…

Another cliché suddenly sprang in front of her inner eye, and she couldn't push it away. Sam tried to concentrate on just walking down the aisle, but still the thoughts of another event wouldn't dislodge from her brain.

_One foot. Then the other. _She couldn't make herself concentrate enough to rid herself of the images that were invading her mind.

_A black-gloved hand._

_She seemed to be inspecting it, turning it over repeatedly with the utmost interest._

_The music began to play from inside the chapel. Miles Davis. Sam smiled with the memories of her very early childhood. _

_The music of Miles Davis showed an unlikely side to her father. It wasn't what you'd expect of a hard, tough, military man. He only played it when their mother was out of the house. She didn't approve of the dark trumpet player for whatever reason. It must've been Jacob's way of teasing his wife, even though she had no idea what was going on. He often just sat and read, listening to 'A Kind of Blue,' deluding himself from the knowledge that his children wouldn't notice his temporary drop of stiffness. Sam remembered listening to a particular piece from the kitchen of their house, sitting down on the floor and just smiling. _

_As she linked arms with her brother at the head of the procession, she deduced that it was the same piece that was playing now. She could never remember the names of the songs, but knew each one individually. She knew Pete and Mark's wife Anne were behind her, then the Carter children behind them._

She was halfway to the altar. She concentrated on looking forward. The memories were so fresh that she almost mistook the 'Wedding March' for 'Blue in Green.'

'Blue in Green.' That was it. The name of the piece.

The revelation initiated the memory to continue.

_The procession marched to the front of the small chapel hall, the family of the deceased moving to the pews__on the right side of the aisle, and the friends to the left._ _No one besides the SGC personnel and Pete knew why the few, odd men and women in brown tunics in attendance moved to the family side of the aisle._

No one voiced their complaints, however. Not even Jack, who sat in the front row of opposite side of the aisle, right on the end of the pew. Sam was between Pete and Mark, and Pete was on the end of their pew, him—as well as the aisle— separating her from Jack.

'_How symbolic,'__thought Sam. _

_A few more Tok'ra then followed the procession, carrying the dark, ebony casket to its__place just in front of the podium where the friends and family would speak, then they too took their seats, choosing to sit with their kin in the family section._

_Pete, next to Sam, took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as Mark stood and walked determinedly towards the podium to speak._

The memory faded into her peripheral vision, allowing her to return briefly to the presentPete took Sam's hands as she ascended the stairs to the altar, squeezed them, and smiled an excited, overjoyed smile that made her slightly queasy. The minister began to drone on about commitment and the joys and hardships of marriage and Sam's brief foray to her wedding was over. Her memories overcame her again.

_After a brief, five minute speech, summarizing how Jacob reentered Mark's life five and a half years ago, Mark took his seat and smiled __**at**__ his sister as she took the podium._

"_My father was a… brave man. He risked his life and did things that most men couldn't dream of. Some of you know what he did, others of you don't. I'm not up here to tell you why he was extremely absent for these last few years, or how he managed to live through the unbeatable cancer that was fighting to take his life. Only that he did," she began, fingers shaking slightly as the caressed the wooden podium._

"_As children, Mark and I were not very close to our father. He was out on missions all the time, and rarely made it to important events like birthdays, baseball games, science fairs. When our mother died, we became even more distant. You all know that, and have understood that for years. _

"_But one of the best memories I had of my father was when I was about six or seven. I listened to him enjoy and hum to that piece that was played as we entered. I felt close to my father then. That's why we chose that song for today, instead of something sad and depressing. No. It was that song that reminded me that my dad was a person underneath all of his military bravado. It was probably that which encouraged me to take up my father's sword, as it were, and join up too. That music assured me that the military wouldn't take my soul away…" Sam's eyes caught Mark's then and she faltered a little in her words. "Well… not completely anyway." Her eyes skimmed over the Tok'ra, hovered over Cassie, Daniel, Teal'c and General Hammond individually, and finally came to rest on Jack._ _Sam smiled, knowing she was right._

"_I don't deny that I've seen and done some pretty terrible things. I know that my father did some awful things, but I also know that he did some amazing things too, and it's the amazing things that should, and will, always be remembered, even by those that don't yet know what they were."_

The double doors that now seemed so far away opened quietly, allowing a brief flash of the light outside to hit the corner of Sam's eye. She smiled. She knew who that would be. That man was late to everything.

The minister continued to prattle on, but Sam recognized that he was nearing the end of his speech by the words that were spoken and the widening grin on Pete's tiresome face. She wished he would take longer. She glanced at the cumbersome golden promise on her finger that was soon to be joined with another one. She sighed quietly, but kept on her façade of utter bliss.

_After a few more little comments by SG1, General Hammond, and some of the Tok'ra, they left the chapel and returned to the limousine in order to be taken to the cemetery. _

_The last few goodbyes were being said and Jacob's casket was being lowered into the hole when Pete pointed__to a dark clad Bra'tac, whom he had apparently not seen before, "And that is… who?"_

"_It's _'whom,'" _hissed Jack with hostility. He was clearly not pleased with anyone who spoke out of turn at a funeral, and__even less so__with anyone who did not talk about Bra'tac with the proper respect of grammar. He took it as a personal insult._

_Sam smiled. _

_Pete however, glared at Jack, who was on Sam's other side. Pete was likely very aware that Sam was leaning more towards Jack than she was toward him. "…Fine, well, _whom _is it then?"_

"_No, that was the correct use of 'who,'" Jack responded flippantly._

_Pete forced himself to stay calm. His mood was not improved by the fact that Sam was almost giggling, despite the fact that she was watching her father's unfair encasement being lowered into the ground. "Just tell me who it is, O'Neill."_

"He _is Bra'tac. He's a good friend of ours."_

_Pete scowled, and Teal'c's errant eyebrow rose in Jack's direction. Sam was sure he noticed, but Jack said and did nothing in response to his large Jaffa friend. Pete composed himself, clearly deciding that he would take out his frustration at a less emotionally volatile time. He chose to change the subject back to the matter at hand._ _He nodded toward Jacob's casket._

"_I just wish that I'd given him a better impression of me…" Pete admitted somberly. "You can't fool me into thinking that he approved at all."_

_Jack chose this moment to speak to Sam, and acted blissfully ignorant of Pete for a moment. Sam suspected that Jack half intended for Pete to hear him. _

"_I heard that Pete's one meeting with good ol' Dad didn't go so well." _

_Pete could've withstood that, had Jack not added, "It was the moment that I heard that, that I was glad it wasn't me marrying a Carter." _

_Sam knew that this was simply a joke directed at her, maybe to get her to smile a little, but Pete didn't see it that way. He saw it as a gamble to steal Sam._

_Realizing that he knew what Pete was already close to doing before he'd made his smart comment, Jack pulled Sam out of harm's way._

The minister called for the bride'svows, and Sam managed to get through them, but when it came time for the 'I Do's,' Sam hesitated and finally broke eye contact with Pete.

Catching a brief sight of Teal'c's ridiculous fedora, Sam scanned the back of the room for a man with silver hair, who likely hoped not to be seen. Seeing no one, she looked around Pete and Mark to Daniel, whose face pulled into a pitying look, and he pointed discreetlytowards the doors.

So it wasn't Jack entering that Sam had seen earlier. It was him leaving.

He would be halfway back to the airport by now.

_The entire entourage stared between the young cop with the flushed face, the exasperated blonde, whose face went unseen through black-gloved hands, and the shocked General with the wide, sparkling, chocolate eyes and the bloodied nose._

"_Hey Pete," said Mark from behind his best friend. "Let's go, huh?"_

_Finally noticing that he was at a funeral where fights normally shouldn't take place, Pete stared apologetically—not at Jack—but at Sam, before Mark led him away towards the cars._

_Sam was left alone at Jack's side, inside a ring of astonished witnesses. The casket was finally completely immersed in the earth, but no one noticed. Some continued to stare in the direction of Jack and Sam, and some in the direction of the departed Pete, as if he had been carried away to his execution. _

_Sam had a choice, and she made it without thinking: he whom she had stayed beside had been her ever-loyal friend and commanding officer. Not her __fiancé __…_

Sam finally realized it.

Was it too late?

The lack of the words 'I Do' told her, "No," and that this was her choice. She could still make it.

She smiled at Pete, whose own grin was finally beginning to wane.

"I can't believe what I'm doing," she said. "I thought I was doing the right thing, when in fact all I've done is make my life miserable and leadyou falsely along. I'm sorry Pete. I really do like you a lot, but I don't know that I love you."

Pete didn't know what to say. Neither did anyone else.

Sam could feel Daniel's and Teal'c's grins radiating from behind Pete, and the warmth of Cassie's on her back.

"Well, then, I guess this saves us the troubles of a divorce," Pete said grimly, looking at the hem of her dress.

Sam started. She had been expecting him to make some dramatic scene as he had at the funeral, **as** this was a way worse atrocity than an innocent joke on her (or Jack's) part.

He could easily want to kill them both, but instead he just stood there, eyes unfocused and slightly pink with oncoming tears.

Sam gave Pete'shands a friendly farewell squeeze and she smileda grateful smile before running off, back down the aisle, with Daniel, Teal'c, and Cassie close on her heels, which she eventually kicked off due to discomfort.

All this time, Sam had been weighing her options, though feeling as if she had none.

She had stuck with Pete because her promise to him had been made first, but as soon as she decided to break it, it was done, finished, and she would likely never see him again.

However, she had tried to break the promise that Jack had presented to her, and at the time, she'dfelt she had, when in fact it was still tantalizing her in the back of her mind, just as it had for the past eight years. She'd chosen to weigh her options on the tangibility of the oath, instead of the meaning it had to her. She'd chosenpracticality over emotion, duty over desire, sacrifice over selfishness. But in this case, selfishness was good.

Wasn't she allowed to make her own choices now? She'd saved the world what? Eight times? Nine? Despite all that had happened to her, she still felt as if she were tied to normality and the guidelines that went along with every other woman in the world. She had been so bent on her military ideals that she hadn't once stopped to recognize the offer that had been extended to her.

Her subconscious had been trying to tell her all along.

Finally, she was numb with a happiness that she had not felt since before her father's death. Maybe that was what he had been trying to tell her as well.

Sam climbed into a government car with Cassie, Daniel, and Teal'c on autopilot. She stared out the window at the highway and wondered if anyone on it had similar, nagging doubts to the ones she had. She hoped for their sake that the answer was no. She barely noticed when Daniel punched a speed dial number on his phone, but her head turned to stare at the back of his head with wide, slightly frightened eyes as he greeted the person on the other line.

"Jack," Daniel said into his cell as Teal'c made the car scream out of the parking lot.

"Where are you? … No really, Jack. ... No, we just left. Couldn't stand it much longer. … Maybe not, but we had the ideal excuse. … Jack. Stop. Do you want to talk to her or not?"

Sam's breath hitched at this point.

Daniel plowed on, his exasperation showing in his voice.** "'**What have I got to lose?' Jack, don't be an ass. Here she is." He handed the phone to Sam. "Don't mind him," he said. "He's being an ass."

"So I heard," Sam laughed, trying to keep everything normal, but her heart was hammering and she was sure that everyone in the car knew it. She then took a deep breath that sent shivers down her spine.

"Hello?"

"_Uh. Hi."_

"On your way to the airport again?"

"_Yeah. Should I not be?"_

"I wouldn't be if I were you."

"…_So Peteyboy got the proverbial backhand?" _Jack asked, his voice a blend of confusion, disbelief and hilarity. _"Serves him right. He handed me a wonderfully tangible hook the other day."_

"You could say that. It wasn't quite as hard as blowing up a sun—"

"_But close?"_

"Yeah. You know, I thought that you wanted to see me 'finally get a life?'"

"_I suppose the idea was just too unbelievable to take in," _he said buoyantly.

"Look, sir, just don't get on that plane," Sam said seriously. Cassie chose this time to let out a yelp of glee. One she had clearly been fruitlessly trying to hold in. Sam couldn't even smile at her and didn't feel the desire to.

"…_Sam. Go home."_

She was silent for a few long seconds. "Excuse me?" she asked when she finally comprehended what he had said. She put as much contempt and exasperation into those two words as she could, letting him know that she was very well aware of his cowardice. This wasn't a time to play 'Commander-and-Subordinate.' They were well beyond that, and it was because of that that Sam was pissed well past screaming. Cassie shuddered and ground herself into the seat for fear of being noticed. Daniel was simply glad that it was not he who was at the receiving end of her rage and did not make any sort of movement at all. Teal'c remained as stoic as ever, but glanced up at the rear-view mirror to raise his eyebrow at her. Sam was aware of these subtle actions, but didn't feel it was the appropriate time to let it be known. Instead she continued in a more normal, yet strained voice, "No, sir, I am _not _going back there. God, I can't believe you! What happened to 'Always'?"

The line was silent for a moment and Sam thought she'd lost her connection, or worse, Jack. But then Jack's voice came through the phone clearly. It was quiet, but resolute._"Nothing, Sam. That's why I'm coming to you."_

"…Oh." It was all she could think of to say. Cassie, however, had more words

"Sam, give me the phone," Cassie ordered. "I'll knock some sense into him."

The young woman waggled her hand at the cell phone, but it was never give**n** to her.

"Sam?" Cassie asked, confused.At that moment, Sam pulled the phone away from her ear and closed itthen spoke in the same quiet but determined voice Jack had used.

"Teal'c, turn the car around. We're going back."

"No we're not!" Cassie exclaimed, indignant. "Sam, you can't let him do this! Teal'c keep heading towards the airport, and step on it would you? Sam, listen to me, you can't let him run away anymore. He's a good guy and all, but—"

Sam interrupted."No, Cass. You don't understand. He's coming back. Teal'c, take me to my house. Not my new house, my real house. We can wait there."

"You're sure he's gonna do it, Sam?" Daniel asked wisely, echoing her own doubts.

Sam sighed and looked to Daniel with sad eyes. "No, but it has to be his choice. If he does choose to go back and I'm not there, he may think of that as an excuse to break his promise. After all, it's only fair," she said, looking out on the brownish summer terrain of Colorado.

"What?" Cassie asked. "That doesn't make sense at all."

Sam sighed again and tried to explain."I made the choice after my dad died to stay with Pete, but Jack was always there, just in case. It's only fair that I offer him the same chance to make the same choice. If I'm not there when he comes back…"

"It is how you weigh your promises that matters, Samantha," Teal'c boomed sincerely from the driver's seat. "Let us hope that the scales you use next time are less susceptible to a change in the wind."

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Okay! One more chapter to go, and a huge THANK YOU and a hug to Jackwabbit, who Beta'd this chapter. I think I used ninety percent of her corrections, and, thanks to her, there WILL be another chapter. I tried to end the story with this one, but I'll admit that I'm terrible at endings, and she offered an idea as to how I could go about it.

Oh, and I hope I didn't disappoint those of you that I mentioned in my Author's Note at the beginning. How did I do? Please review because I need to know, for future reference if nothing else. You can flame, rant, do whatever, but please let me know.

THANKS TO ALL!

kt


	4. Chapter 3: Countdown

_A/N: Sorry it took so long, but it took me a long time to realize that I could do no more to this chapter. I was intending for this to be the last chapter, but then it said "NO! There has to be one more!" so I obeyed. So thank you all for your patience, and I hope you enjoy the almost-last chapter of Libra!_

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Countdown

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Teal's's Zen-like comment reverberated in Sam's ears the whole way home.

'_Change in the wind…' _Was that supposed to mean that he thought she was fickle? No, probably not. Teal'c could be chiding at times, like a parent, but he would never say things so directly. Sam sighed mentally. She knew him as well as anybody, but in some ways it was like they were back to the first years of his Tau'ri existence: everything he said had to be put through a slow processor just so she could understand.

He was different, that's all. Yes, he had picked up some Earth-isms from his time here, but his thought patterns were still very different from those of Daniel, or Jack… even Cassie, an alien in her own right.

It was a simple analysis of her friend, but no matter how objective she tried to make herself think it was, the notion that Teal'c would always feel slightly separated from his Tau'ri friends saddened her.

_Let's not dwell, _she thought bitterly. There were other things to attend to at that moment, like her house that was going to appear around a corner any second now.

Three… two… one…

_Touchdown, _she thought as the car parked easily on the side of the empty road.

With some help from Daniel and Cassie, she organized the obscene ruffles of her dress enough so she could slide off the seat and out of the car. Her knees, flimsy from the adrenaline let-down, buckled a little under the forgotten weight of the dress, nearly throwing her to the ground because of her unstable, three-inch heels. Still holding her hand, Daniel kept her upright until she regained her bearings.

She let go first, insisting that she could do this—all of this—on her own. The other two noticed this action, and interpreted it the same way that Daniel did…but pretended not to. Instead, they turned toward the door of Sam's house, Teal'c standing guard, vigilant as usual, on the front porch while Cassandra rummaged around in the pot of a dying plant, in search of the spare key.

By the time Sam—with Daniel close behind—reached them, Cassie had the door open and had already leapt inside. Teal'c waited until Sam passed, then followed Daniel inside, closing the door behind him.

"You know," Sam began, startling the other three a little with her sudden use of a light tone, "today was such a waste." She could've giggled at the matching expressions on the men's faces. "I could've been at home or in the mountain doing something useful. Instead, I spent all day preparing for a wedding that didn't mean anything. I did nothing else. What an accomplishment!" now she was bitter. Annoyed, mainly by the strain her damnable shoes were putting on her feet because of the bulk of this hideous dress. Okay, that wasn't fair. The dress wasn't completely hideous itself… it was what it stood for—compromise—that sickened her.

"My father would have been shocked." The following scoff was directed at herself. "I never compromised. I never settled for less than I had originally wanted…. Now look…" The other three were thoroughly unhelpful by this point, all staring incredulously at the unfamiliar grimace on Sam's beautiful face. "Cassie, can you help me get this thing off. It wouldn't go well for 'the discussion' to take place while I'm in this thing. It would be awkward for him, and both awkward and uncomfortable for me."

"Sure," came Cassie's slightly strangled voice.

She hung up the dress, vaguely wondering whether she should keep it as a reminder of how close she came to reducing herself to a housewife… then decided against it. It would have to go to a second-hand shop first thing in the morning. It could probably pass for a Prom dress, if someone wanted it. That thought gave her comfort as she slipped into some sweats and a T-shirt before returning to her sitting room.

It was silent in the house until the sky turned black over Colorado. After that, Daniel couldn't bear it any more. "Look, Sam, I'll call him."

She shook her head without a word. "He'll either be here, or he won't, Daniel. His choice."

"Sam, if we gave Jack the last option in everything, we would've died at some point along the line."

"But we didn't, Daniel, and this is one of those times that it's his decision. This isn't life-or-death."

"I beg to differ, Colonel Carter."

She chuckled. "You can differ all you like, Teal'c, but I already know what I'm going to do if this ends… awkwardly."

"And that is?" Cassie questioned.

"Colonel Carter intends to run Area 51."

"What? You can't!" Cassandra protested.

"You'll be fine Cass," Sam said soothingly.

"But will you?" Daniel was always the one to see right through the waffle of small-talk.

"Yes, Daniel. After walking out on my own wedding, I'm getting the feeling that I can take just about anything."

"So if he doesn't show up tonight…"

"Then I'll go to sleep. Coffee anyone?"

"No, thanks."

"I must refrain."

Daniel just shook his head wearily. Sam stared. This must be bothering him. "I think I'm just gonna call it a night. Cassie, do you want me to take you home?" the young woman gave Sam a questioning glance, which Sam returned with a smile.

"I'm fine, Cass."

Cassie moved to sit on the coffee table in front of Sam. She hugged the older woman with no restraints, squeezing Sam to the point of suffocation before letting go. She patted Teal'c's shoulder comfortingly, and then left in silence.

Daniel still stood in the doorway.

"Just go, Daniel. It's probably better that there aren't any witnesses."

He sighed almost dejectedly, but moved away from the door. He came over pulled her up from the couch and into his arms. He held her tightly until she felt tears brimming her eyes. "I'm sorry today didn't work out for you."

"I'm not."

"I know." He pulled away and looked down at her like a fond brother would to his little sister.

"Maybe tonight will be better, then," she said after a while, looking away from his concerned blue eyes.

"I hope so." He pulled her into him again, pressed his cheek to her hair, and left in silence.

Sam pulled her tears back up behind the dam and turned to Teal'c still stationary in the recliner. "Are you going to leave me now too?"

"I will remain to provide some company, for a while, though I too will leave eventually."

The evening rolled on in silence from there, save for the sounds emitting from the television. For once, Sam felt no need to speak. There wasn't much more to say, and she was busy preparing herself for the possibility of talking later. Teal'c, of course, remained as non-verbose as was usual, but both were thankful for the company of the other.

As the hour hand on the clock neared the '11', Teal'c stood, nodded to Sam once with a comforting smile on his face, and then he too left her be.

Five hours. Five hours since her non-wedding. It did not take five hours to travel from Denver International to Colorado Springs. Jack had proved that by getting _to_ DIA in record time. This could only lead Sam to one, final conclusion: he wasn't coming. He was known for his promises, but this apparently was one he could not keep. She didn't blame him, if she was half-honest with herself. She wanted to, but she couldn't.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

_A/N: Hopefully the last chapter will be up more quickly than this one was. I'll try to keep on my toes._

_ So. Tell me what you thought!_

_Thanks._

_kt_


End file.
